


Summer Flowers

by TheZ1337



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Underage Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 17:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10667502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheZ1337/pseuds/TheZ1337
Summary: Soulmate modern high school au where flowers appear on your soulmate when they are hurt. Too bad for Hux that Ben Solo gets hurt a lot as a kid.Part of theKylux Hard Kinksexchange and the accompanying moodboard





	Summer Flowers

Can you imagine it? The first memories you have are of the pain of a loved one. Someone you've never met, yet are destined to be with. He couldn't even imagine what that poor girl went through.

So many days that he couldn't count where Armitage Hux woke up with new tattoos. Swaths of watercolor flowers would appear on his pale skin, freckles forming as he got older. And under those freckles would be beautiful red hibiscus flowers splashed across his ribs. A vibrant, life-size sunflower wrapped around his right knee one morning. He got golden poppies across his left eye when he looked in the mirror. The tattoos were always summer flowers, and they always faded as his soulmate healed. He couldn't imagine what she went through as a child.

And then he wasn't so sure it was a she. As he entered high school he became hyper aware that he was, in fact, not at all attracted to girls. He'd rather have a tall, quiet boy to stare at in class than one of those girls who was an early bloomer. He daydreamed about his soulmate constantly.

As he got older, the tattoos came less and less. He got the occasional marigold or calla lilly on his legs mostly, which he could easily cover with the simple blue jeans he wore. He tried out for the debate team his freshman year and was a great addition to the team. The morning of his first championship, he'd woken up horrified.

Large swaths of black dahlia and hellebore stretched from his forehead, over his right eye and down his throat. He stood bare chested in the mirror and saw the dark flowers covering his torso and his left arm. His knuckles looked bruised from the color of the flowers planted there, and yet he didn't hurt. But his soulmate... they were in pain. They'd nearly died.

They said the darker the flowers, the more severe the injuries. He had a mental breakdown, hurting himself in turn as he fell to his knees in the bathroom at the thought of his soulmate, the man he hadn't even met yet, comatose in some hospital somewhere. Or maybe he was bleeding to death right that very moment on the side of the road. Hux could picture a car accident, two vehicles overturned... he sobbed.

He'd called in sick to the debate; he couldn't stand on stage like this. People would worry about the man connected to Hux, but they all knew it was just markings that would disappear in a few days. Hux was a complete wreck; the stress made him sick. He skipped school on Monday too. The markings began to fade, but the process was slow. So every morning when he stepped out of the shower, he was reminded of how the only person, man or woman, who would ever bring him happiness in this world, had almost died. And he was helpless to do anything about it.

* * *

Senior year came and Hux was head of the debate team. He had a solid group of friends, mostly other team members and a few stragglers who weren't in the "popular" crowd. He was taking three AP classes, and stayed two hours after school to plan debate strategy, or just hang out with his friends.

It was September and the debate schedule had just been posted outside one of their teachers offices. Hux talked excitedly with one of his friends as they looked at the date and location of each tournament. It was between periods and the hallway was bustling with noise and bodies. Someone bumped in to him, shoving Hux out of position and he turned to look at who'd jostled him.

"Hey-"

"Sorry," a deep voice muttered. Hux almost made eye contact, but as the boy looked away he saw the scar, jagged though thin across his right eye. The boy, who Hux didn't know, kept walking and Hux choked up. He stared at the back of his head, thick black hair pulled up in a pony tail, though loose strands stuck out around his neck after a long day at school. Hux stared and took a step towards him.

"What a jerk," his fried said next to him, looking off in the direction of the student who'd bumped him.

"What?" Hux looked back at his friend. "Oh, yeah," he looked away, back in the boys direction but he was gone. Tall head of hair above all the rest, and it had disappeared. Hux bit his bottom lip nervously. That may have been it - the moment when he met his soul mate. And now he might never see him again.

Hux resolved that that wouldn't happen. After all Hux had been through, after all his soulmate had been through, he wouldn't just let them have a chance encounter. After that, he looked for the boy every day during school. He traveled hallways he normally avoided, he went outside for lunch instead of sitting at a table with his friends. He even parked on the other side of the parking lot, his friends questioning him about his bizarre behavior. But Hux was determined to find him.

One day as autumn rolled around, Hux finally saw him. He was across the quad, hands stuck in his pockets, just going over the top of the hill towards the bungalows that were "temporary" classrooms (though they'd been there for almost a decade).

"Hey, that guy," Hux pointed. A few of his friends looked up.

"Who? Ben?" Gwen Phasma spoke up. She was the only girl on the debate team.

"You know him?" Hux asked excitedly. Gwen crinkled her eyebrows and sat back.

"Yeah, we used to be friends. Why?"

"Ben, he's, I mean who is he? I've seen him skulking around," he lied.

"He's a weirdo, really into like martial arts and stuff."

"Oh," Hux sounded disappointed. There was only one place those kinds of kids went: the library.

* * *

Hux wasn't a foreigner in the library, he just didn't frequent it very much any more. Between AP classes and Debate, he didn't have time except when he had to do research that required two or more print sources. He walked into the library after school, ducking his head behind a shelf of books. He told himself not to be stupid, and to go sit at a table and do some homework. With a few deep breaths, he hooked his thumbs under the straps of his backpack and went back around the shelf and made his way to the tables.

He saw the boy there, head down, pouring over an open workbook and calculator. Hux stared at him and wound his way through the tables. He took a table to the boys right, and looked over. That was definitely a scar; he couldn't imagine how much pain he'd been in. Hux shrugged off his bag and pulled out his history textbook and a notepad. He began to pretend to study. But he'd shown up late, and only had twenty minutes to stare at the boy, over his homework of course, before the bell rang.

Ben Solo sat back with a sigh, put down his pen and smoothed his hands over the tops of his jeas. His motions were slow as he closed his notebook, and clicked his pen. He had an air of calm around him, his eyes not raising as he packed up his bag. Hux packed up fast, but sat in his chair with his bag at his feet until Ben stood up.

Hux followed him out, Ben's slow walk was very laid back, like he had all the time in the world to exit the school grounds. Hux wished he would walk faster.

He came up with a plan; if Ben was into martial arts, he was probably on a team, or maybe just sparred with his friends in the back yard. He followed Ben out to the parking lot, where Ben began to unlock one of the bicycles at the bike rack. He unhooked the bike helmet from his backpack and put it on, and Hux lingered behind one of the raised flower pots they had around campus. He would wait until Ben was injured to confront him, but at least he knew a little bit more about Ben... his soul mate.

* * *

Hux didn't have to wait long. Ben broke his arm in a tournament that weekend, and Hux woke up that morning with beautiful yellow daffodils splashed across his elbow and forearm. He smirked; this was the first time he was happy to wake up with those watercolor flowers. He wore a long sleeve shirt to school, then tracked Ben down.

He waited until after study hall; Ben had a cast but he'd broken his offhand arm. Since he was right handed, he could still do all his homework (though much to his dismay). Hux went to study hall, and when the bell rang he packed up with lightning speed. He was out of the library fast and peeked in to several open classroom doors in the hallway where he knew Ben would be. They were all occupied by teachers, and he hated that. He thought of where to go, to corner Ben.

Finally he realized he'd have to settle for one of the janitors closets. He peeked in quickly to a door before Ben came around the corner; it was mostly empty except for a very old mop, and an emergency wash shower. It was perfect.

He stood outside the door, arms crossed, head down as he glanced in Ben's direction. He tried to look like he was waiting for someone as Ben approached. Ben ignored him, keeping a small distance as he walked past. Hux reached out fast, snapping his fingers around Ben's good arm and dragging him in to to the closet.

"What the-" the door closed and Hux flipped on the light. Ben looked down at Hux, eyes wide in surprise.

"Ben," Hux breathed. It was the first time he'd said his name out loud. Hux was breathing hard, his heart pounding out of his chest.

"Do I know you?"

Hux pulled up his sleeve, rolling it as he went and showed Ben the tattoos without a word. Ben looked down, following his gaze and he gasped. His eyes widened as Hux showed him the marks, then looked up at Hux. 

"You're-"

"I knew it," Hux took a step forward and Ben backed up. He backed Ben against the wall, his hand reaching up to trace the top of the scar on his face. "When I saw you-"

"The fall... I was rock climbing..." Ben said. Hux nodded, staring up in to Ben's dark eyes. He could drown in them, his face soft and open. It was like reading a book, he could see all the expressions cross his face. "Didn't you cancel a debate?"

"Yes I-" he paused. "How did you know?"

"I've always known. Since the first day I saw you, you had these..." he lifted up his hand, flicking his fingers above his right eye, the one so brutally scarred. "Daisies, and I had this gnarly black eye."

"You knew? Why didn't you-" Hux took a step back, confused. Ben got a sad look on his face, and looked away. "Why didn't you say anything, if you knew?"

Ben shrugged. Then he held up his broken arm in the cast and motioned to the scar on his face. He let out a sad laugh; his voice cracked. "Look at me. Bruised and broken, who would want someone like me?"

"Ben," Hux breathed his name again. "Oh, Ben," Hux slipped an arm around him and tilted his face up as he stretched on his tip toes. He kissed Ben softly, Ben's mouth hot with threatening tears. Ben began to tremble and caved in to Hux, wrapping his arms around him. It was less than romantic in the janitors closet, but in that moment they found each other, split like a calyx but they unfurled together.

**Author's Note:**

> I also have a [tumblr](https://thez1337.tumblr.com/), feel free to stop by and say hi or drop me a drabble


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